- Arnau Mir de Tost
Arnau Mir de Tost ( _la. Arnallus, _es. Arnal; c.1000–after 1072) was a Catalan nobleman of Urgell, the lord of
Llordà and viscount ofÀger , a major figure in the eleventh-centuryReconquista in Catalonia. Arnau is sometimes praised as the "El Cid of the Lands ofLleida " for his foundational role in reestablishing Christian rule in the region to the south of Urgell.Fernández, 83.]Arnau was born at
Tost shortly after the year 1000. His father died when he was still young and he became attached to the court of Count Ermengol II.Fernández, 80.] In 1031 he married Arsenda (or Ersenda) and purchased from the count the rights to the castle of Llordà on the frontier with theCaliphate of Córdoba . From his base at Llordà he began a career of conquest in the aftermath of the breakup of the caliphate in numerous petty "taifa s". He conquered theConca Dellà and brought the frontier of Urgell up toMontsec . His crowning achievement was the capture of the "alcassaba" of Àger (1034), the key fortress in the Muslim line of defence against Urgell, which he successfully took by storm twice.Ermengold promptly enfeoffed Arnau as lord of Àger and charged him with the repopulation of the devastated territory between the Christian and Muslim frontiers.Fernández, 81.] To this end Arnau issued charters specifying the terms of colonisation; Montsec became the centre of a new Christian principality in the south of Urgell. For his primitive
chancery Arnau employed an efficient scribe named Vidal, who brought the "convenientia" (convention) into common practice in western Catalonia, especially through the work he did drawing up conventions on behalf ofRaymond IV of Pallars Jussà , the husband of Arnau's daughter Valença.Kosto, 166.] Arnau had extended his influence into Pallars Jussà through this matrimonial alliance (1055), at which time Raymond had pledged him four castles as insurance against his breaking his marriage vows.Kosto, 125.]Arnau controlled over thirty castles and numerous other agricultural settlements at the heigh of his power, justifying his assumption of the titles of
viscount and "comtor ".Kosto, 131.] He built a fortified monastery,Sant Pere d'Àger , which still stands on a hill overlooking Àger. [http://www.goddesschess.com/chessays/calvopieces.html Calvo.] ]In 1043–1044 Arnau became a hostage on behalf of his suzerain Ermengol III for 4,000 "
solidi " toRaymond Berengar I of Barcelona , as insurance against Ermengol and Raymond Berengar's alliance againstRaymond of Cerdanya .Kosto, 129.] Arnau also fought for Raymond Berengar, conqueringCamarasa andCubells in his name.Fernández, 82.] As early as 1050 he had extracted from Raymond Berengar a promise not to demand "statica" (right of lodging) from him.Kosto, 94 and 98.] At the same time he was extracting other concessions out of Ermengol III, diminishing the comital rights ("potestas", "power") over his castles.Arnau was a major proponent of the
Crusade of Barbastro in 1064. On17 April 1066 Ermengol III, who had been given the lordship ofBarbastro after the success of the crusade, died defending it from the Muslims and Arnau took over the regency of Urgell for the young Ermengol IV.In 1072 Arnau went on a pilgrimage to
Santiago de Compostela . Upon his return he dictated his testament, which is preserved. It contains the second mention of a set of ninety-sixrock crystal chess pieces called the "Urgell (or Àger) chessmen". Their earliest mention is in the 1068 will of Arnau's wife Arsenda. They are crafted in an abstract Islamic design, implying that they were originally from south of the frontier. On his deathbed he is said to have expressed regret that he had not enough time to conquerBalaguer and Lleida. A small monument has been erected to Arnau atForanada nearMonsonís .Fernández, 84.]Notes
ources
*Calvo, Ricardo. [http://www.goddesschess.com/chessays/calvopieces.html "The Oldest Chess Pieces in Europe."] December 2001.
*Fernández, Jaume. [http://www.caminsdemuntanya.com/monum/docus/personatges.pdf "Arnau Mir de Tost: El Cid de les Terres de Lleida."] "Personatges" (2006), pp. 79–84.
*Kosto, Adam J. "Making Agreements in Medieval Catalonia: Power, order, and the written word, 1000–1200". Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. ISBN 0 521 79239 8.External links
*Jean-Louis Cazaux: [http://history.chess.free.fr/ager.htm The Ager Chessmen: Les pièces d'Ager."] (Contains images of the Urgell chessmen.)
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